Sorrel harvesting machine with spaced apart rotating return and cutting drums moving in opposite directions at a throat therebetween

Abstract

A machine for removing the calyces from the seed of a sorrel bud includes a smooth surfaced return drum rotatably mounted to a frame and a cutting drum rotatable about a cutting drum axle and mounted to the frame in a tandem relationship with the return drum. The cutting drum has a plurality of circumferential blades oriented perpendicular to the cutting drum axle and are substantially equally spaced one from another. The cutting drum in combination with the return drum defines a throat therebetween for receiving sorrel buds. A drive simultaneously rotates the return drum and the cutting drum to cut calyces from the seed of the sorrel bud.

What we claim is: 
     
       1. A sorrel harvesting machine for removing the calyces from the seed of a sorrel bud, said machine comprising:
 a frame; 
 a return drum having a central return drum axle rotatably mounted to said frame, said return drum having a substantially smooth surface about a periphery of said return drum; 
 a cutting drum having a central cutting drum axle rotatably mounted to said frame in a spaced tandem relationship with said central return drum axle, said cutting drum having a plurality of circumferential blades about a periphery of said cutting drum being oriented perpendicular to said central cutting drum axle and substantially equally spaced one from another, said cutting drum and said return drum being disposed in a spaced tandem relationship with one another so as to define an opening of a throat therebetween for receiving sorrel buds; 
 an arcuately configured blade tray affixed to said frame and disposed below said opening of said throat and said cutting drum for receiving sorrel buds exiting said opening of said throat, said blade tray comprising a plurality of spaced apart blades extending across said frame; and 
 a drive mechanism supported by said frame adjacent to and outwardly spaced from one side of said return drum and said cutting drum and being rotatably drivingly interengaged with said return drum axle of said return drum and said cutting drum axle of said cutting drum so as to simultaneously rotate said return drum and said cutting drum in the same angular direction causing portions of said peripheries of said return drum and said cutting drum located at said opening of said throat to move in opposite directions relative to one another at said throat. 
 
     
     
       2. The machine according to  claim 1  further comprising a conveyor mounted to said frame above said return drum and said cutting drum and oriented to deliver a plurality of sorrel buds to said opening of said throat. 
     
     
       3. The machine according to  claim 1  further comprising a hopper mounted to said frame above said return drum for receiving a plurality of sorrel buds, and further including a chute disposed below said hopper and oriented to deliver the plurality of sorrel buds to said opening of said throat. 
     
     
       4. The machine according to  claim 1  wherein said cutting drum axle has opposite ends; and also further comprising a pair of adjusters affixed to said frame and rotatably journaled to said respective opposite ends of said cutting drum axle, each of said adjusters being actuatable to move said cutting drum axle and thereby said cutting drum therewith relative to said return drum to regulate the size of said opening of said throat between said cutting and return drums. 
     
     
       5. The machine according to  claim 4  wherein each said adjuster comprises:
 a shaft affixed to said frame, said shaft defining a central bore therethrough; 
 a threaded adjustment bar received in said central bore, said threaded adjustment bar having a bearing on one end thereof, said bearing journaled to one of said opposite ends of said cutting drum axle, and said threaded adjustment bar at an opposite end thereof engaging a flange affixed to said frame; and 
 at least one nut engaged on said threaded adjustment bar bearing against said flange and rotatable thereagainst for translating said cutting drum with respect to said return drum. 
 
     
     
       6. The machine according to  claim 1  wherein said drive mechanism comprises:
 a motor mounted to said frame and having a rotatable drive member disposed in line with one of a pair of opposite ends of each of said central return and cutting drum axles; 
 a first rotatably driven member spaced from said rotatable drive member and being mounted on said one end of said central cutting drum axle and in line with said rotatable drive member; 
 a second rotatably driven member spaced from said rotatable drive member and said first rotatably driven member and being mounted on said one end of said central return drum axle and in line with said rotatable drive member and said first rotatably driven member; and 
 a motion transmitting member drivingly interconnecting said rotatable drive member with said first and second rotatably driven members at respective outside arcuate portions of said rotatable drive member and said first and second rotatably driven members that face in directions away from one another such that rotation of said rotatable drive member causes said first and second rotatably driven members and thereby said return drum and said cutting drum to simultaneously rotate in the same angular direction. 
 
     
     
       7. The machine according to  claim 6  wherein said second rotatably driven member has a diameter greater than a diameter of said first rotatably driven member for rotating said cutting drum at a faster rate than said return drum. 
     
     
       8. The machine according to  claim 1  further including a catchment tray positioned below said opening of said throat and angled to direct calyces and seeds from said throat away from said machine. 
     
     
       9. The machine according to  claim 1  wherein said blade tray blades are substantially radially aligned to said cutting drum axle. 
     
     
       10. A sorrel harvesting machine for removing the calyces from the seed of a sorrel bud, said machine comprising:
 a frame; 
 a return drum having a central return drum axle rotatably mounted to said frame, said return drum having a substantially smooth surface about a periphery of said return drum; 
 a cutting drum having a central cutting drum axle rotatably mounted to said frame in a spaced tandem relationship with said central return drum axle, said cutting drum having a plurality of circumferential blades about a periphery of said cutting drum being oriented perpendicular to said central cutting drum axle and substantially equally spaced one from another, said cutting drum and said return drum being disposed in a spaced tandem relationship with one another so as to define an opening of a throat therebetween for receiving sorrel buds; 
 an arcuately configured blade tray affixed to said frame and disposed below said opening of said throat and said cutting drum for receiving sorrel buds exiting said throat, said blade tray comprising a plurality of spaced apart blades extending across said frame; 
 a catchment tray affixed to said frame and positioned below said opening of said throat and angled to direct calyces and seeds from said throat to exit from said machine; and 
 a drive mechanism supported by said frame adjacent to and outwardly spaced from one side of said return drum and said cutting drum and being rotatably drivingly interengaged with said return drum axle of said return drum and said cutting drum axle of said cutting drum so as to simultaneously rotate said return drum and said cutting drum in the same angular direction causing portions of said peripheries of said return drum and said cutting drum located at said opening of said throat to move in opposite directions relative to one another at said throat. 
 
     
     
       11. The machine according to  claim 10  wherein said drive mechanism comprises:
 a motor mounted to said frame and having a rotatable drive pulley disposed in line with one of a pair of opposite ends of each of said central return and cutting drum axles; 
 a rotatably driven cutting drum pulley spaced from said rotatable drive pulley and being mounted on said one end of said central cutting drum axle and in line with said rotatable drive pulley; 
 a rotatably driven return drum pulley spaced from said rotatable drive pulley and said rotatably driven cutting drum pulley and being mounted on said one end of said central return drum axle and in line with said rotatable drive pulley and said rotatably driven cutting drum pulley; and 
 a motion transmitting belt drivingly interconnecting said rotatable drive pulley with said rotatably driven cutting and return drum pulleys at respective outside arcuate portions of said rotatable drive member and said rotatably driven cutting and return drum pulleys that face in directions away from one another such that rotation of said rotatable drive pulley causes said rotatably driven cutting and return drum pulleys and thereby said return drum and said cutting drum to simultaneously rotate in the same angular direction. 
 
     
     
       12. The machine according to  claim 11  wherein said rotatably driven return drum pulley has a diameter greater than a diameter of said rotatably driven cutting drum pulley for rotating said rotatably driven cutting drum pulley at a faster rate than said rotatably driven return drum pulley. 
     
     
       13. The machine according to  claim 10  wherein said cutting drum axle has opposite ends; and also further comprising a pair of adjusters rotatably journaled to said respective opposite ends of said cutting drum axle, each of said adjusters being actuatable to move said cutting drum axle and thereby said cutting drum therewith relative to said return drum to regulate the size of said opening of said throat between said cutting and return drums, wherein each said adjuster comprises:
 a shaft affixed to said frame, said shaft defining a central bore therethrough; 
 a threaded adjustment bar received in said central bore, said threaded adjustment bar having a bearing on one end thereof, said bearing journaled to said cutting drum axle, and said threaded adjustment bar at an opposite end thereof engaging a flange affixed to said frame; and 
 at least one nut engaged on said threaded adjustment bar bearing against said flange and rotatable thereagainst for translating said cutting drum with respect to said return drum. 
 
     
     
       14. The machine according to  claim 10  wherein said blade tray blades are substantially radially aligned to said cutting drum axle. 
     
     
       15. A method for removing the calyces from the seed of a sorrel bud, said method comprising the steps of:
 obtaining a sorrel harvesting machine having a frame, a return drum with a central return drum axle rotatably mounted to the frame and a substantially smooth surface at a periphery of the return drum, a cutting drum with a central cutting drum axle rotatably mounted to the frame in a spaced tandem relationship with the central return drum axle such that the return and cutting drums are disposed in a spaced tandem relationship with one another so as to define an opening of a throat therebetween for receiving sorrel buds wherein the cutting drum includes a plurality of circumferential blades about a periphery of the cutting drum being oriented perpendicular to the central cutting drum axle and substantially equally spaced one from another, wherein the sorrel harvesting machine has an arcuately configured blade tray affixed to said frame and disposed below said opening of said throat and said cutting drum for receiving sorrel buds exiting said opening of said throat, said blade tray comprising a plurality of spaced apart blades extending across said frame, and further wherein the sorrel harvesting machine has a drive mechanism supported adjacent to and outwardly spaced from one side of the return and cutting drums and being rotatably drivingly interengaged with the return drum axle of the return drum and the cutting drum axle of the cutting drum so as to simultaneously rotate the return drum and cutting drum in the same angular direction causing portions of the peripheries of the return drum and the cutting drum located at the opening of the throat to move in opposite directions relative to one another at the throat; 
 engaging the drive mechanism to simultaneously rotate the return drum and the cutting drum in the same angular direction causing the portions of the peripheries of the return drum and the cutting drum located at the opening of the throat to move in opposite directions relative to one another at the throat; 
 introducing a plurality of sorrel buds to the opening of the throat of the harvesting machine; 
 allowing the return drum to rotate the plurality of sorrel buds against the rotating blades of the cutting drum; and 
 causing the cutting drum blades to cut the calyces from the sorrel bud seed and to exit the throat.